The Writer/Director"Ramin is a very strong director," according to Dennis Quaid. "When he offered me the
script and I saw his movies, I wanted to work with him based on the performances he got
out of actors, and even non-actors. He never let me sit on my laurels or use my usual
tricks. He was always prodding me to do something different. I love working with
writer/directors because they know what they want."

Zac Efron concurs. "It's rare to see someone with so much passion for so many things. I
feel like he could probably do anything and succeed. He's a mad scientist."

Although the production's budget was comfortable compared to Bahrani's earlier indie
productions, Quaid says "The only reason that anybody was there was because they
wanted to be there. As a crew everybody was really devoted. It was so special to work
with Ramin. But nobody was working for the money -- my trailer was my car."

"I wanted it to be a very classical looking film," says Bahrani, "because I felt it would be
a nice contrast to how modern and subversive the story actually is. The films that I was
looking at a lot were The Searchers, The Last Picture Show,Nashville and Bonnie and
Clyde. I wanted an expansive and epic feeling that could capture the intimate human
story within the vast landscape."